


Summer Vacation

by the_technicolor_whiscash



Category: Mystery Science Theater 3000
Genre: Camping, Ghost Stories, Other, Shenanigans, fluff? Fluff.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 08:22:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15360255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_technicolor_whiscash/pseuds/the_technicolor_whiscash
Summary: Jonah, Kinga, Max, and the Bots go camping in a state forest, and Kinga decides to tell a ghost story around the campfire.





	Summer Vacation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TwoDayShipping](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwoDayShipping/gifts).



> Let’s all sit around our campfire and sing our campfire song our C A M P F I R E S O N G song

“How much further? My legs are getting tired.” Crow whined. 

Kinga scoffed. “You’re a robot. You don’t have pain receptors.” 

“Yeah, but I can guess that they would be hurting by now.”

“Crow has a point.” Jonah added. “We’ve been walking for hours. Do you even know where we’re going?”

Kinga paused, betraying the fact that she actually had no idea where they were going. “We’re here.”

Max dropped his camping supplies with a sigh. “Oh, thank god.” 

“I’ve gotta ask, Kinga, why are we doing this?” Asked Jonah. 

“I told you, it’s a teambuilding exercise. Nothing makes you crazier than a weekend in the woods. I have a feeling it’ll be highly beneficial for the experiment.”

“Sure. But why do we have to stay in the same tent?”

“Because I only wanted to buy one.”

Jonah shook his head. Camping was something he had enjoyed in the past, but having to camp with the Mads wasn’t exactly ideal. At least it gave him a break from watching movies. 

Jonah was puzzled as to why camping was the thing Kinga chose as a teambuilding activity. She didn’t seem the camping type at all. She seemed… nerdy? Yes, that was the word. Kinga was a scientist through and through. He would have expected her to be much more comfortable in a lab than the great outdoors. But, as Jonah had discovered time and time again, Kinga was full of surprises. This camping trip would be enlightening for everyone. 

Well, everyone except the Bots. Crow was currently in the process of trying to trap Tom in the tent’s rain tarp, while Gypsum egged them on. Cambot seemed to be filming it from a safe distance away. 

Jonah probably should have intervened, but instead, he decided to help Max assemble the tent. It was a large tent that probably could have fit eight people, and it was more than enough room for three people and four robots. 

“Thanks, Jonah.” Max said, as they lifted a pole. 

“Max, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” 

“Why do you bother following Kinga around? She treats you like crap.”

A smile crossed Max’s face. “She’s not actually that mean. She’s just strong-willed. And a lot of it is a facadé she puts on for the show. But I appreciate the concern.”

“Is it… supposed to look like that?” The tent had three out of four legs standing, and the center of the roof was drooping into the center of the tent.

“I think we’re missing some of the poles.” 

Jonah sighed. “I know who took them. Crow! Servo!”

Servo immediately flew into a tree, out of sight. Crow, meanwhile, was about ten feet taller due to the tent poles he was using as stilts. “You’ll never take me alive!” 

After two steps, the poles collapsed, and Crow landed face-first in a mud puddle. 

Jonah rolled his eyes. “I’ll get the towels.”

——————

After further negotiation with the tent, they finally managed to get it standing. Kinga started a fire, and they cooked hot dogs over it. 

“Have you guys ever heard,” Kinga began, “the story of the haunted maiden?”

Jonah and Max shook their heads in unison. 

“It all starts on a night just like this one. Clear, with bright stars and no moon.”

“The moon is right over there.” Jonah pointed towards a gap in the trees. 

“Don’t sass me, Heston. Anyway, the weather was the same. A woman decided that, before she was going to get married, she would have a bachelorette party out in the woods.”

“Aw, Kinga, is this the story of your bachelorette party before you married Jonah?” Crow asked excitedly. 

“No! Mine was much more fun. Let me get to the story!”

Jonah frowned. “You had a bachelorette party? All you let me have for my bachelor party was three toy cigars and those sunglasses made out of silly straws.”

“Listen, are we going to listen to my story, or are we going to keep interrupting me?”

The group fell into silence. 

“Thank you. Now, where was I? Ah, yes, bachelorette party. So, her and a few of her closest friends set up some tents in the nearby state park.

“On the way to the park, they stopped at a diner for dinner and dessert. One of the diner’s eldest patrons heard that they were planning on spending the night in the park. Immediately, she warned them not to. For there was a darkness, an energy in the woods, and those who spend the night in the woods often do not come back.

“Naturally, they didn’t listen, and forgot about the old woman’s instructions when they went into the woods. For a while, everything was fine. They drank, sang, and danced amongst the trees. But they didn’t realize anything was wrong… until they noticed one of their friends had gone missing.”

It was then that Jonah realized he was on the edge of his seat. If there was one thing Kinga was good at, it was exposition. 

“They called her, and yelled her name, but she didn’t respond. The bride to be was beginning to worry. But something within her, a presence, told her not to be afraid. Told her everything was ok. 

“One by one, the rest of her friends disappeared. Each time, the presence grew stronger. She began to feel as if she were glued to the woods, like she could never leave again. 

“She sat down beside the fire, which had long turned to embers. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. And when she opened them…” A pause. “BOO!” 

“AAAAH!” Crow and Servo yelled. Crow’s arms were wrapped around Servo, and they both seemed genuinely terrified. 

Kinga laughed. “Wow. That was great. But that’s not the actual end of the story. 

“So, when she opened her eyes, she saw a black figure in front of her. It was in the shape of a young woman, wearing a decrepit wedding dress. Or… what had once been a young woman. For it now had empty, soulless eyes, and it radiated evil. 

“At once, the girl felt fear. She quickly tried to back away, but found her path obstructed by a tree. She covered her face with her arms, bracing for the end. 

“Suddenly, she felt a stabbing pain coursing through her body. She tried to scream, but no noise would come out. 

“And then, nothing. The last breath left her body, and she fell to the forest floor.

“Legend has it that that evil spirit still lurks in these woods, looking for more unsuspecting campers. Watch out, because you might be next.”

There was about a minute of silence, before Jonah finally spoke. “Well, I definitely didn’t need to sleep tonight.”

“Well, you better, because I planned a hike for five am.”

Jonah groaned. But he knew it would be unavoidable. 

They retired to the tent, where Kinga, Jonah, and Max had to share an air mattress because they had only brought two, and the second was for the Bots. It was a little awkward, and more than a little warm.

Kinga had to leave to use the bathroom, taking the lantern with her. As far as Jonah knew, the three of them were the only ones awake. And as the minutes ticked by, he grew concerned. 

“Max, do you know where Kinga might have went? She’s been gone for a long time.” Jonah whispered. 

“I don’t know, but I’m getting worried too. She wouldn’t abandon us, would she?”

“I wouldn’t put it past her. But I didn’t hear the car start. Maybe she got distracted by something.”

“Maybe.”

They began to listen to the sounds of the woods, trying to hear any semblance of footsteps. But as time went by, all they could hear was the sound of the wind through the trees and the creatures of the night. 

Suddenly, they heard the sound of something hitting against the side of the tent. 

“Kinga?” Jonah called out, his voice wavering. “Is that you?”

No response. Just that sound again. 

“Kinga, this isn’t funny. You’re going to wake the Bots.”

Whatever was hitting the tent seemed to be progressing along the side of it. Max, meanwhile, had glued himself to Jonah’s side, clutching him in fear. “Are we going to die in these woods?”

“I really hope not. Kinga, if that’s you, stop it right now.”

The thing had now progressed to the front side of the tent. Though there was no light, Jonah could have sworn that it was in the shape of a woman in a wedding dress. 

“Whatever you are, just leave us alone!” Jonah yelled, finding himself clutching Max back. 

The wind howled, and the creature grabbed the side of the tent and shook it. Jonah was now a hundred percent sure they were going to die in the woods. 

As the shaking continued, Max yelled out, “Jonah, if we die tonight, I just want you to know that I’ve always loved you!”

“I love you too, Max!” Jonah replied, yelling just as loudly. “And if we’re being honest, I love Kinga too, god rest her soul!”

Over the sound of the tent shaking, they heard a cackling. A cackling they were entirely too familiar with. And then, Kinga popped her head into the tent. “Aw, you guys are too sweet. I love you too.” 

Jonah took a deep breath, steadying himself. “Kinga, I’m going to throw you out of this tent.”

“No, you won’t, because if you do I’ll just drive home and leave you guys in the woods.”

“You wouldn’t do that, would you?” Max asked, his voice clearly still on edge. 

“Naw, I wouldn’t.” She put the lantern down at the door of the tent, zipped up the flap, and flopped onto the air mattress beside Jonah. “I just thought it would be funny to scare you two. And I was right, it was hilarious.”

Jonah rolled his eyes. “You’re a jerk.”

“I know. But you two still love me despite my obvious character flaws, so I figure I’m doing something right.”

“I guess.”

Max propped himself up on his elbow. “Did you actually mean it though, when you said that you loved us?”

Jonah smiled. “Yes, I did. I’m a hopeless romantic with a soft spot for mad scientists.”

“Good. Because you’re a really good hugger.”

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn’t find an actual scary story online so I wrote my own


End file.
